Free, Open Source Educational Software for Schools
Tux Likes Learning
In my never-ending quest to find cool educational apps for teachers and parents, I’ve been introduced to SchoolForge. This project aims to provide everything a teacher or school network administrator could ever want for running a smooth, ultra low cost I.T. operation.
Applications are grouped by category; you’ve got antivirus and anti-spyware, Internet apps, multimedia software, office tools, and web-based systems to pick from. Representing the “best of the best” in open source software solutions in their respective fields, these are proven applications that can really shrink expenditures on traditional software systems. Many are available for multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, and MacOSX). Here’s a few examples from the project site.
Free Antivirus & Anti-Malware Software – This category offers ClamWin Free Antivirus and WinPooch, two excellent applications for keeping nasties out of your computers.
Free Educational Software – Canorus (free music score editor), Celestia (desktop planetarium software), jMemorize (flashcard system), and Multiplication Station (free math tutoring software) are just a few examples in this category.
Free Multimedia Software – Art of Illusion (open source 3D modeling suite), CamStudio (record screen and audio on your PC and convert it to Flash videos), the Gimp (open source image editing), and Inkscape (open source vector graphics suite) put serious media processing power in the hands of students and teachers.
There’s a ton of other applications listed, each a proven performer in its field. Have fun exploring everything SchoolForge has to offer, and happy computing!
